Is stealing from shops no longer a crime in the UK

[iain m]

As a reluctant shopper I reluctantly push the trolley around Sainsbury's a couple of times a month when the CEO has a big shop, we now have what I call the buy here get one free self pay terminals, as I walk around these are in full view and someone with say 6 items will hold the first ( and most expensive item) in one hand whilst passing the other five across the scanner and then suddenly all six will be in the bag but only five paid for.  My sister in law was saying the other day how supermarkets think we are all daft, the same Sainsbury's was charging more than double for 12 eggs compared to the price of six and several specials were actually more expensive, ( I just nod like I actually know what a dozen egg cost) I mentioned the loss they are making must be more than the minimum wages they pay,  oh she says when say apples are scanned it asks are they granny smiths or orange pippin, people buy the most expensive of all these items and enter the cheapest. So the reason why the cost of your grocery shopping and almost everything is soaring is mainly because we are constantly subsidising theft.

 

As we were walking out of the shop this morning a large cardboard Nectar advert had bee placed by the offending terminals, what did it say, " get a Nectar card and get something for nothing"  , not on stolen goods you can't, can you????      

[bigals]

Personally I dont like self service and think they should be banned as a further step on the brakedown of society as for some of our old foke it's the only contact they might have. One of the large diy stores in newbury only has one person on the refund desk you should see the que on a thursday. Have you ever tried standing a two meter length of skirting on the scales. Personally if every one robs the stores blind then the sooner we might get some human cashier's back on the tills. I dont advocate steeling but all the large supermarkets and chains abuse there powers over suppliers and consumer's alike. Go independent and support your local community and economy where you can

[John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO]

my mother in law works at tesco and the problem they have is  amount of crispy creme dohnuts that get rung though as normal dohnuts

 

 

Dohh

[AdamR]

Dohh

nuts.

 

Self service does appear to be slower than normal checkouts, but it's less staff-intensive so I guess the supermarkets don't care...

[ajpearson]

I cannot see how, with the exception of not bagging stuff you can get away from it, the scales are all weight dependant. Yes you can select a lower price option, but you are only going to be saving pennies.

The large self service we have down here with trolleys is a random stockcheck, so if you risk it you are a fool

[Norman Verona]

Our Super U has just started checking the self weighed fruit and veg at the checkout.

 

We are well know in there so I asked why. The answer somewhat surprised me but I shouldn't have been.

 

"Because the English cheat and press the wrong numbers"

 

Before you all start protesting, I believe her. Some shops won't take cheques from English as they bounce (cheques, not the English - mind boggling)

 

 

 

As said above they will calculate the loss in theft to the savings in staff and add any costs to the goods. Last time I was in a UK supermarket I looked for and found the camera on the self checkout area.

[pistonbroke]

The staff filch more than the public IMO

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

It's a general moral malaise.

[Norman Verona]

The Police don't care, "You're insured aren't you" is the stock answer to a burglary. Whewn I worked with our boys in blue I asked why this attitude. "When we used to catch them and haul them into court for the umpteenth time they got community service - again. They never did it and we were then asked to catch them again, just for them to get more Comm service, which they won't do"

[dombanks]

I cannot see how, with the exception of not bagging stuff you can get away from it, the scales are all weight dependant. Yes you can select a lower price option, but you are only going to be saving pennies.

The large self service we have down here with trolleys is a random stockcheck, so if you risk it you are a fool

 

i don't see how they are getting away with it unless the items are not going in the bag but on the floor or into another basket. i take my own bags and its always having a hissy fit when i put them on the scales. its the same thing when you buy gift cards or very light stuff and the alarm goes off as it doesn't recognise the weight.

 

as for the 2x6 is cheaper than 1x 12 thing, this has always been the case. Tesco are the worse offenders for the "bulk buy rip off". another one they do is have 2 size bags of stuff next to each other and have a large price tag for smaller often on offer bag. people just see the price and pick up the nearest bag. (often done with crisps like Doritos).

 

 

personally i like the self serve things much quicker for buying easy to scan items than the normal checkout.

[M444TTB]

The French still take cheques?! I thought it was old fashioned when I worked at Sainsbury's in the late 90's. must have been phased out now. We don't even issue guarantee cards on our current accounts!

[M444TTB]

To add, I like tithe self serve checkouts now. Other than WHSmith who seem incapable of making the same technology work properly! Or when I happen to be with my Mum, who at 57 can't cope with the idea of not putting her handbag down with the stuff she's buying. This making the checkout think she hasn't scanned stuff!

[Norman Verona]

Everyone uses cheques to pay the supermarket. We use the Carte Bleu, a bank card. Credit cards are expensive here as you have to pay an annual fee. 

 

A lot of benefits are paid in food vouchers which cannot be used for alcohol or ciggies (ciggies aren't on sale other than at the Tabac which is normally a bar) so you get a fumble for the vouchers then the cheque book and all this doesn't start until all the items have been scanned through and packed into the shopping bags. We, of course, plan ahead, and have the loyalty card and bank card ready.

[XTR2Turbo]

Latest scam in sainsburys is to photocopy the money back coupons. Apparently you can use them repeatedly so if over 2.50 will alert staff to manually check

[BLiNK Motorsport]

This was once my idea to make millions but nobody was interested (there is a surprise!)

 

Smart Tagging:

 

Several years ago I wrote a plan to have all produce sold in supermarkets labelled with a 'smart tag' (chip). I reckoned all the major supermarkets had enough buying power to insist that their producers packaged their produce with a 'smart tag' that would contain details of the produce and the price (both retail and cost to the supermarket).

 

When the customer went shopping they could fill their trolley then walk through a barrier (like a security barrier at an airport) that would almost instantly recognise the produce in that trolley and the prices - a receipt would be printed and the money owed paid. No scanning of items or unloading/bagging of trolleys etc.

 

I showed how this would save on staff costs and also customer satisfaction.

 

The system would also be directly linked to the stock taking/accounting system again saving labour and money.

 

Nobody was interested despite the technology being available.

 

Still got to work loads instead of relaxing on some tropical beach or yacht!!!